"The Australian Government has been a long term provider of funding to Life Education, primarily in support of the work of its National Office. This saw over $500,000 invested in Life Education by the Australian Government in 2016/17," Life Education said in a statement.

"In 2017/18 the financial support to be provided by the Australian Government has been cut to zero. The decision has been taken to defund Life Education. This is quite a remarkable given the compelling need that exists across our community for strong, sustained and effective preventive health education.

"In 2017/18 we had expected more than 750,000 young Australians would participate in our program, in school communities right across Australia."

In response, Federal Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham announced the Federal government continues to support Life Education and the Healthy Harold program and "will work with Life Education Australia to ensure the funding [and] the program continues."

There remains uncertainty over what this new partnership could look like between Life Education and the government, however, as questions are being asked as to how the funding will be found and how the Minister plans to provide support for the program into the future.

We support #HealthyHarold & will work with Life Education Australia to ensure the funding & the program continues

The funding dilemma comes after South Australian senator for the Nick Xenophon Team, Skye Kakoschke-Moore raised the issue of Life Education Australia support in a parliamentary estimates meeting on Tuesday, revealing the planned cuts to the program.

On Tuesday night, Kakoschke-Moore took to Twitter to confirm Birmingham had called her directly in relation to the funding matter and confirmed his plans to work with Life Education in order to maintain its programs, although the exact details of how this is to happen remain unclear.

Minister Birmingham's office called mine advising will work with Life Education to continue programs -great result after my questions today

As for the future, Life Education has acknowledged it will need to revise the expectations for the program, pending discussions over the details of the support referred to be Birmingham.

"The Australian Governments defunding decision will require us to materially revise our expectations of what is achievable in the short to medium term," it said.

"While it will be challenging for us, this cut will be most felt by the many children and their teachers and parents in school communities right across Australia that will now be denied access to our program.

"Of all the funding to cut, surely our investment in Australia's future -- ie. our children -- would be the last you'd expect to suffer this fate."